I'm In Love With You
by BethosaurusTheDinosaur
Summary: A relationship that appears nothing won't always be all that it seems.
1. chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Come over to my place tonight." Kiba grunted. "You've been keeping me waiting." Neji diverted his gaze and loosened his tie. He was disgusted at dog boy's passes made at him, but yet he still found it ridiculously endearing. He'd act like he'd had no concern for him at all, and then he'd head over there whilst no one else was looking. Not to mention he'd let Kiba do most things to him. Basically anything he'd asked, really. Even if his ass was killing him the next morning. But being a ninja was stressful, right? He liked that excuse, and Kiba seemed to like it too.

Kiba slapped Neji's behind whilst no one was looking and sent a chill down his spine. _Would he stop fucking doing that_. Neji didn't feel like being a tool today or any other day, for that matter. Sure, he was offering a service, but so was Kiba. There was no bigger man; they were both in it for the pleasure, and that was it. So, after a few hours of hard work and training, Neji slipped away from his team and stopped by the Inuzuka residence. He knew he didn't need to worry about the family being around; they had to be out on a mission if Kiba had invited him.

"Oh, so you finally showed yourself." Kiba chuckled, meeting him at the gate. "Guessing you haven't been home yet since you look a mess."

Neji wrinkled his nose. "I didn't find the need to make an effort. It's just you." He scoffed. _Ouch_ , Kiba thought. Already throwing punches. What a stoic man.

Neji followed Kiba inside, but rather than head to the bedroom like usual, they stopped in the livingroom instead. Kiba laid on the wide floor of tatami mats and propped himself up with his elbows. He smirked and stared Neji in the face.

"Ride me."

Neji's disgusted look returned to his face. _Ugh, bastard_.

"I'm not going dry." He said. Kiba smirked again. "I've got you covered." He reached his hand under the kotatsu nearby and pulled out a bottle of lubricant and and a pack of large condoms, two of which were already used.

"You planned this." Neji scowled. "All of it."

"Heh, don't look so pissed. These are for your benefit, not mine."

So, like an obedient puppy, Neji did it like he always does. He unzipped Kiba, got him prepped, and sorted himself out in the proccess. Then, he gently lowered himself onto Kiba's dick, feeling his heat enter him. And boy, was he _hot_. Neji only had to take one look at Kiba's face to tell he was doing a good job. Because that was the way Kiba liked it. He pushed when it went in and he squeezed when it came out. And it made Kiba come every time.

It was going well like it always did, when suddenly Neji caught sight of Kiba with an expression that he'd never seen before. He seemed pained, like he'd suddenly thought of something and seen it through his minds eye; something that broke his heart.

What was wrong? Did he mess up? Was he doing it wrong? Kiba had been enjoying it only moments ago, so what happened?

Suddenly, Kiba scowled and lifted Neji by his waist, placing him down onto his back.

"Wait, what are you-!"

Kiba thrusted into him and leaned down to bury his face in Neji's hair. He held Neji's body very close.

"Kiba?" Neji asked, but Kiba didn't respond. He didn't lift his head. He just kept going until they were both finished and gasping for air. Then, he leaned down to kiss Neji, settled beside him and fell asleep. And with one arm over him, he slept through the whole night.

Neji, however, wasn't so lucky. He was battered and bruised with the training, and Kiba hadn't exactly been so gentle with him. He felt the cold floor against his back making him arch it, and Kiba's heavy, wolf-like limbs clinging to him and making him clammy. Somehow he didn't mind so much though. He teased him but he did care. It wasn't like he'd do this kind of thing with just anyone. However, he wasn't quite sure how he felt now. He wondered what had passed through Kiba's mind in that moment. He looked down at the gentle breath pushing down his neck and down Kiba's sleeping features; his slim nose, sharp eyes and short lashes made him masculine and rough looking. That seemed like a type Neji had often gone for. Kiba wasn't bright and he wasn't funny or cool. He was boyish and open, and he was easily excited, both in his head and in his pants. Yes, he was definitely a lot for Neji, but he wasn't _too_ much for him. They had their differences, but something made that feel like a nice thing. It was better than being similar, he thought.

Remembering he was busy tomorrow, Neji decided to sleep. He hadn't the trouble when he slept next to him. It was usually very easy to drift off, even if he was stressed. Kiba didn't know this of course, since he was always out like a shot. But Neji found it comforting. If he ever needed it, there was always somewhere to go, and Kiba always had his arms open wide.


	2. Chapter 2

After everything that had happened the day before, Kiba hadn't seemed himself. They'd gotten up and gone about their missions, and although they'd rarely seen each other during the day, when they had, Kiba had always made an effort to look like he was beaming. He'd have his usual, joyful attitude, but once he locked eyes with Neji, he glowed, flashing his teeth. Neji never reciprocated, of course. He ignored it often, not even caring to scowl at him. It just wasn't what their relationship was.

Today, however, Kiba seemed different. When Neji caught sight of him, he peered over. Kiba seemed down, so Neji kept looking. He'd looked to the floor with a deep look in his eyes that made him seem like something was eating away at him. It was clear those around him had picked it up, but when they spoke to him, he used a fake smile, saying he had a bad stomach and had eaten some bad rice. Then, when he linked eyes with Neji, he blushed, but also looked away with a pained expression. Neji could read through it to some degree; he looked like he was holding himself back from acknowledging Neji, but what Neji couldn't understand was _why_ he felt that way. He knew when it had all started, but he couldn't figure out what had triggered it. The likelihood was that even _Kiba_ didn't know, since his being, Neji knew, seemed to be run so heavily by his feelings as he wore his heart on his sleeve. He was all intuition, but Neji should've expected this kind of thing when he became involved with a dog boy who worked by his senses. But how was he going to fix something he didn't know the cause of? Well, it wasn't _his_ job to fix it, was it? Kiba was a big boy, and a pain at that. He'd have to sort himself out because Neji was sure he wasn't having any of it.

As the day went on, Kiba and Neji passed each other many more times than usual. It was almost fateful and irritating, but Neji found the need to keep peeking over, even if his pride kept screaming into his ear to ignore him. Kiba noticed every time, his blush deepening, but he made more of an effort to look away, making Neji all the more irritated. He _had_ to know what was bothering that bastard, the one that always seemed way too big for his boots.

Since his curiosity had the better of him, Neji had a chat with Hinata and found a way to figure out where Kiba was going to be in the evening, without actually giving away that he had the slightest interest in it. Then, in the evening, when Kiba had headed home in the dark, he got relatively close before Neji took his hand in the dark and dragged him, full speed, into a side street. Kiba hadn't jumped, though.

"I could smell you from a mile off." Kiba said, watching him intently. "Why are you skulking about?"

"I'm not." Neji lied. How could Kiba's nose have gotten past him? "Why are you ignoring me?"

Kiba looked away again. "I'm not." He lied. Neither of them could seem to tell the truth.

Neji sighed heavily. His scowl was frustrated and worn, and he clapped his palm to his forehead with irritation. He sighed again, just to make himself feel better, and looked at Kiba sternly, as if to say, 'listen up'. Kiba, however, was reticent and unassuming, whilst also slightly frightened; he wasn't to get on Neji's bad side (because it really was bad), but he wasn't sure what exactly he'd done wrong.

"Kiba." Neji was almost holding his breath. "Listen. If something _is_ bothering you, I _want to know_."

Kiba froze. What? Neji was concerned with _his_ wellbeing? But that didn't make any sense. Neji, who always made it so clear that Kiba could die in a ditch and he wouldn't care, was showing _concern_. Although Kiba was over the moon with appreciation, he still couldn't say what he was thinking. Of all the people that could know, Neji was definitely the last one.

"I really appreciate it, Neji, but I can't say." Kiba furrowed his brows and looked down at the floor.

Neji couldn't handle it anymore. He asserted himself. "What do you mean you can't _tell_ me? After I said something so ridiculous. So, you can live up my concern? No way!" He yelled, his eyes glazed with anger. Kiba reciprocated.

"What, so that was bullshit? You don't give a shit about me at all? Is that why you've been staring at me all day?"

"Yeah, well, it's not like we can fuck when you're in a mood like _that._ Ignoring me is being selfish. What the fuck am I going to do now? Find myself a replacement?"

At this moment, Kiba's switch flipped. " _…ha?_ " Neji regressed a little. Kiba was _d_.

"So, this whole time you thought you were in control? Like you could just do whatever you wanted because we weren't exclusive? You thought I wouldn't feel anything at all?" Kiba's eyes were burning. Neji didn't respond.

"That's it, isn't it? You, always making _me_ feel like the bad guy. The stoic guy that feels nothing and pushes all his problems onto everyone else. You probably _despise_ me, don't you?" Again, Neji didn't respond. Kiba paused.

"How many guys have you fucked since we started all this?"

Neji's blood ran cold. He looked right into Kiba's eyes and into his soul, and he was serious. Neji turned away.

"I think we should see other people."

Kiba's face fell. He hesitated.

"Yeah, me too."


	3. Chapter 3

Kiba had decided he didn't regret his choice, but in truth, it sucked not talking to Neji or seeing him around. He hadn't seen him at all, in fact, since the night they'd decided they wanted to break up. Since it was mutual, it'd been easy. But Kiba couldn't help thinking; wasn't it too easy? And if so, what did the relationship mean, anyway? To Neji, it had seemed like it really meant nothing. He didn't seem too bothered about breaking it off. In fact, he'd never seemed to bat an eyelid at Kiba. It hadn't been until very recently that he'd even noticed him in a crowd, but that could've simply been because he'd been causing him so much trouble. _'Yeah'_ Kiba thought, _'It's because I caused him trouble.'_

That led Kiba to think about how _he_ felt. How _did_ he feel? When it came to Neji…

No, he didn't want to think about that. If Neji was sure he didn't want to feel a thing, then neither would Kiba. It was his own fault, anyway. If he didn't want to be loved, then that was that.

At the end of the day, Kiba headed home, his mind filled with how busy he had been. He walked without thinking and, before he knew it, he stood outside a very familiar love hotel. That had been where he'd always ended up on a Thursday afternoon, when Neji had his scheduled 'training', and Kiba would 'go home' a little earlier than usual. It was funny that they had always made time together, even without the strings attached.

Since he'd met him, Kiba had found Neji really annoying. He was stuck up, irritable, full of himself and he was far too quiet. He hated that kind of person. He was kind of like Sasuke, he supposed, but no, you couldn't compare the two. They were completely different. But Kiba couldn't quite say why he thought that.

They'd first started 'hanging out' in a really odd way. A year ago, Neji had let slip to Kiba that he was into guys. They'd been out on watch for a mission and nothing had happened, so they got to chatting. Kiba had asked how Neji felt about Hinata with him being so protective, and he'd given him a cold, hard 'not interested'. However, in the end, Kiba found out the Neji hadn't really been into girls at all, and so one thing led to another, and they slept together. Since then, although like chalk and cheese, it had been a 'three times weekly' kind of thing. Three times at least. Kiba had thought about if he were gay, but he was unsure if that had really been it. He was still attracted to girls, and there were no other guys he'd thought it would be any more than disgusting with. What made Neji so different that he had to jump on it when he had the chance? He couldn't say. Maybe it was his long hair, pale skin and other feminine features that set him off, but under all those clothes, Neji still had a dick. The question was, how come, after seeing it, Kiba could still get hard.

Neji thought about ways to apologise. He wasn't very good at apologising, and he definitely wasn't the type to do it in the first place. Although he knew his pride proceeded him, somehow, he wanted to act a little differently than usual. He, shamefully, wanted to make an effort. People made it out like saying sorry was simple. _'Even children can apologise'_ , Neji thought to himself. _'Think of the children'._ And yes, for innocent children, they could apologise and make friends again. However, Kiba had ignored him, and Neji was pissed about it. Not only that, he'd made a fucked-up comment about Neji _sleeping around_. It was as if he _wanted_ them to split, right? He was asking for it.

Neji sighed. He knew he was wrong. There must've been a reason Kiba felt this way. Something was definitely up. To go from all smiles and 'let's play' to almost the point of breakdown wasn't something Neji didn't expect, but it made him feel like shit. He was starting to miss being beamed at and blinded. It added some light to his boring, stoic life.

Neji had practised in the mirror for a good hour before he decided he'd initiate this 'apology'. It was goofy and a mess, and he stumbled over his words even at himself, but he had to do it, despite his pride. Even if it kept him up at night, Kiba helped him fall asleep, so in the end, he knew it would all be worthwhile.

Neji made his way to the Inuzuka household. That's right, he was gonna show he gave a shit by going right up to his front door and _asking_ for him. Then Kiba would crawl back into his arms like he always did, and Neji could feel more in control, just like he used to.

He reached Kiba's front door and knocked three times. Mrs Inuzuka answered. She seemed very (understandably) shocked to see him.

"Oh! If it isn't Neji Hyuga! It's such a shock seeing you here! Is there something you want?"

Suddenly, Neji clammed up and forgot what he was going to say. "Oh, um, I'm here for Kiba. I mean your son. No, yeah, Kiba." He stumbled over his words.

"Oh really? Our Kiba? What for? You couldn't be going out to play, could you? Aren't you a little old for that?" She smiled at him with a playful grin.

"Mum, leave him alone." Kiba stepped past her out of the front door.

"Don't be so serious, Kiba. It's just a bit of fun." She giggled. She glanced back at Neji. "Just bring him back for tea." And with that, she closed the door, leaving the two in silence.

They both stared at the floor. "What are you here for anyways?" Kiba kept looking down. _He's still mad_ , Neji thought.

"Can we maybe… go somewhere?" Neji suggested. He made sure to look at Kiba to show he was engaged.

"Ah, right. So that's what you came for. Well, I'm not doing that anymore, so you can forget it." Kiba didn't look at him once, and made his way to the door. Neji panicked.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean… like that."

Kiba turned to listen.

"Can we go somewhere… to talk?"

Kiba glanced at him, paused for a moment, and sighed. "Yeah, okay." He huffed a little. "But if you touch me, I'll kill you."

"Oh, uh, yeah. Okay." Neji replied. He didn't really like Kiba's attitude, but he rolled with it. He was finally paying proper attention to him, so he wasn't to mess things up now.

They took a little trek out of the village and into the woods where there was no one around. Neji wanted to make sure there really was no one to see what he was about to do, but getting there had been awkward. Kiba had traipsed behind silently, sighing from time to time, but not moaning like he usually would. It looked like he was taking this seriously, too.

Finally, they reached a bit of a clearing and Neji decided that was the spot, stopping in his tracks.

"Done, are you?" Kiba finally broke the silence. Kiba paused and turned to him, looking him straight in the eye as if to close the distance between them.

"Look, Kiba, I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself." He couldn't stand going back on his words, but he had to say it. He sighed. "I shouldn't have said any of it."

Kiba looked shocked. He hadn't been expecting this. Terms for their future engagements, perhaps, where he'd eventually give into a sexual relationship because he was weak. An apology, however, was out of the blue. He had to admit, though, he was over the moon.

"Oh. Um, sorry. I wasn't expecting that. I know that was probably kind of… hard for you to say, so… thanks. I really mean it."

Neji stared a little, but he felt warmth from being accepted. His cheeks turned pink and he tried to cover it by looking away, but it was far too obvious on his pale skin.

"Uh, Neji?" Kiba asked. "Are you okay? You look kinda red."

"No, it's nothing!" Neji exclaimed. "Forget about it. I'm curious, though. What is it that you couldn't tell me?"

"Oh, before? Uh…" Kiba had a really guilty look on his face. "I'm really sorry, Neji. I really want to tell you, but I just _can't_."

"Are you worried about what I'd think? Is it something embarrassing? I promise I won't judge you. I won't say a thing."

"It's not that." Kiba sighed. "I trust you. I always have, and I always will. I…" he trailed off.

"You what?" Neji's hands were clammy again as he anticipated Kiba's words.

"I… love you, maybe."

Neji's clammy fist released, making his fingers dangle at his sides. His face, still red, froze, and he couldn't move to look at Kiba, his surprise getting the better of him. When he finally looked over, Kiba had tears in his eyes, and he'd been looking right at him the whole time, anticipating a response. _Of course,_ Neji thought. _I have to reply._ But he was struggling.

"I don't know what you want me to say." Neji's lip quivered. Kiba could feel the honesty in his wavering voice. "What should I say?"

Suddenly, Kiba grabbed his arms and held them tightly, making it clear to Neji he wasn't going to let go. Neji had tears collecting in his eyes and he looked stunned. Although Kiba had touched him plenty of times, his touch now seemed so much more intense, as if his red face and fast pulse had transferred into the strength of his grip and sent electricity through his fingertips.

"Tell me the truth." Kiba had an intense gaze full of expectancy and passion. "Tell me you love me."

Neji's knees felt weak, his arms being pushed closer to his body. His legs were about to give way, but Kiba's force held him up.

"I…"

" _I love you."_


	4. Chapter 4

Since what had happened, Neji hadn't been quite so stoic towards Kiba. When Kiba smiled at him, he made an effort to smile back. It needed work, of course, because he _looked_ like he was forcing it, but Kiba could tell the difference between Neji's smug bastard smile, and his new 'I don't know how to do this' kind of smile. At the end of the day, Kiba found it cute, and he beamed back, as if the sun shone from his face. Neji was as blinded as he'd always been, even if he gave into it now. However, he'd noticed how much happier he'd been letting himself feel these feelings, without holding back. He'd already told Kiba how he felt, and whatever happened now, Kiba knew.

It was strange that they weren't at this point already. They'd been doing pervy things for over a year now, having sex whenever they could and using each other as hot water bottles during cold nights. Kiba had even suggested a few dates, half-jokingly and half-serious, but Neji had pushed them all aside. He'd been very protective of himself, Kiba knew, and it was time he opened up; Kiba wanted to make Neji feel like that was something he could do.

Kiba thought hard about it. Since their feelings finally had time to settle, why not go on a date? It wasn't something Neji would usually do, but now that he'd been making such an effort, maybe he would be up for it. Besides, Kiba wanted to do something kind for him, and he wanted to treat him to a bunch of romantic stuff, just as thanks for being with him. He could easily ask him when he was back from his mission today. He decided he'd ask Neji out on a walk through Konoha.

"No fucking way."

" _What?"_

"I'm not going."

"But it's just a date."

Neji sighed. "I don't _do_ dates, you know this already." Kiba frowned at that scowl he'd thought he'd gotten rid of.

"What's not to like? Just you and me, in a romantic setting, no one there to barge in." Kiba winked. Neji's eyebrow flinched.

"Yeah, you'd love that, wouldn't you? A chance to jump me."

"No one said anything about jumping anyone. And besides, wouldn't you like that? We're dating now. Not weird, is it?" Kiba noticed Neji's face turn to a deep shade of crimson.

"Who the hell said we were dating? Did you even fucking ask?" Neji yelled, despite his rosy cheeks and clear embarrassment. Kiba couldn't help but smile seeing him shake over one little thing he'd said.

"Okay, Neji, I'd like to ask you something. Do you mind?" Kiba looked him in the eyes.

"Huh?" Neji's eyes widened and he looked away for a moment. His expression, looking at nothing in particular, never strayed from the floor. He stammered. "G…go ahead."

Kiba never took his eyes off him. "Neji, will you…"

"…Go on a date with me?"

Neji flinched.

"No way, you bastard."

With that, Neji left a giggling Kiba at the roadside and trudged home. Kiba would be back, he knew, and he didn't mind.

Kiba, now Neji-less, started planning the date by himself. _It's even better as a surprise_ he thought to himself, and he headed to collect info and organise some things. He started off by asking people who might've known a lot about Neji. He went to Hinata first, since she was easy access being a fellow team member, and also since she was a relative, so she was the closest person to him (well, other than Kiba himself).

"Oh? Neji? Well, Neji's a very shy person. He doesn't have too many hobbies, and he's always been somebody that focused on training and missions more than anything. What are you planning? Is Neji asking about something." Hinata tried to make sense of Kiba's request.

"Oh, no. Don't worry about it. It's just something he said, that's all." Kiba tried to make up for what he'd let slip.

"I didn't know you were hanging out with Neji now. What's gotten into you both? It's nice you're getting along. I was sure you and he weren't friends."

Kiba paused. "Is that so? I mean it's not like we were never _not_ friends, right?" Truthfully, Kiba wished he could straight up tell her about their relationship, but he knew if he did that, they wouldn't _be_ in a relationship anymore. He laughed Hinata off.

Next, he thought he'd ask Naruto and Sasuke. To him, they were some of the best people to ask, since they'd have a lot of experience in this kind of field.

"Yo, Naruto, Sasuke, I thought I'd see you two together." Kiba smiled at them. "What are you guys carrying?" He gestured to the heavy bags they in their hands.

"Oh, this? I'm just helping Sasuke take some stuff up to his room. Is there something you need?" Naruto asked, as cheerfully as ever. Sasuke struggled behind him with the bundle in his arms.

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask you guys something. Do you mind?" Kiba asked. The three headed up to Sasuke's place. Kiba and Naruto sat on the floor facing each other, Sasuke sorting the bags by the sink and putting things in the cupboards.

"I was thinking." Kiba began. "Since you and Sasuke are so… chummy… I was wondering if you could give me a little… advice?" Sasuke paused in the background.

"Oh um… What kind of 'advice'?" Naruto looked startled.

"Well, you know. When you guys go on dates, where do you go?" Kiba asked so innocently, but it was pointless. Sasuke's knuckles started cracking, and Naruto's face turned blue.

"Who the FUCK said we were **DATING** , asshole!" Sasuke yelled, throwing the potato he had in his hand right at Naruto's head, his face beet red.

"Sasuke, I swear, I didn't say a thing! I haven't told anyone about us-!" Naruto was cut short by Sasuke grabbing him into a headlock.

"About WHAT? What US? There's nothing! I don't even want to _SEE YOU_ again!" Sasuke's eyes were filled with tears, yet his brows were scowling.

"Sasuke, wait I didn't mean-!"

Seeing he'd caused a bit of a ruckus, Kiba thought he'd slip out. To each their own, he supposed.

Finally, Kiba made his way to see Tenten. He considered asking Lee, but he had more faith in a lady's opinion when it came to dates. Rather than asking about Neji, Kiba thought he'd be a little more indirect.

"Hey, Tenten, can I ask you a question? If you were going on a date, where would you go?"

"Hm." Tenten began. "That depends. Am I going on a date with someone I like? Or is this an obligatory date?"

"Oh, um, with someone you like." Kiba replied.

"Well, if it were someone I liked, Lee for example, since he's a nice guy, I'd take him out for a meal at a fancy restaurant. But then again, it depends what that person likes. If I were to take someone like Naruto out, I'd definitely take him to that ramen place he's always going to, because that's where he'd really want to go. Then with someone like Sasuke or Kakashi sensei, I'd take them somewhere private, right? Since they seem pretty private themselves."

"For you, Kiba, I'd take you on a really adventurous date somewhere really fun. Maybe we'd go to a party or a club, or maybe for a run or something silly like that. You seem like someone that can't stop moving."

Kiba thought about it. Yeah, that _did_ sound like a lot of fun. He'd definitely be impressed if someone knew him _that_ well, and they were willing to do something weird, just because that was what he was into.

"Wow, Tenten, you're really good at this. Is this something you think about a lot?" Kiba asked. Suddenly, Tenten blushed with embarrassment.

"Not really! I'm just good at it, that's all. And anyway, do you want anything else? Or…"

"Oh, um… What about Neji? You didn't really… mention him…"

"Neji? Yeah, that's the thing. With Neji being Neji, I think the best thing is to totally forget it. Neji isn't a date person. I wouldn't push that kind of thing on him." She waved her hands around as she spoke. "No, it's impossible, no matter which way you look at it. I think if you set up a date for him, he'd think you didn't know him at all."

 _Didn't know him at all._

"Well, I'm pretty sure," Kiba began, picking himself up off the floor. "Neji doesn't know himself that well, either."

Tenten looked at him in surprise, a bit gormless at what she'd heard.

"Huh? Uh, yeah…"

"Well thanks for the advice. It was really helpful." Kiba smiled at her before heading off to arrange a date so romantic, even Neji would have to admit it.

Tenten thought about what Kiba had said. _He asked about Neji?_ She thought. _But there were lots of people I didn't mention…_

Since he'd gotten a _little bit_ of help in picking what to do for his date, Kiba had some incentive on what to plan. He just had to think really hard about what Neji really liked, because of course, _Kiba_ _knew Neji better than anyone_. Kiba was scared, though. When he walked around asking about Neji, it was as if people viewed him as plain, boring and difficult to get along with. 'Difficult', yes, but 'boring'? Definitely not. Kiba was 'adventurous' and passionate. He wouldn't fall in love with someone 'boring'.

"I bet you're _dying_ to know how my date planning is going, aren't you?" Kiba asked Neji after finally seeing his face for the first time this week.

"Date? Oh, you're still planning that crap. I thought I told you, I'm not into it." Neji sighed, pretending to be occupied with looking in his shuriken pouch.

"Yeah, and it's going to be amazing. Super romantic. The idea behind it is 'Neji's special night." Kiba was beaming again. He always did when he was talking to Neji.

"Oh really? We'll see about that." Neji couldn't help but smile with a blush. He turned away, but Kiba could see it easily. _Not really into dates, huh?_

Finally, it was date night. Kiba could put all his hard work on show, and most of all, he could show Neji a good time. Operation 'Impress Neji' was finally taking off.

"Neji, how do you tie a tie? I can't make heads or tails of it." Kiba fumbled at the cloth around his neck.

"That's because," Neji reached over to give him a hand. "Ties don't have neither heads, nor tails." He smiled. Kiba stuck his tongue out at him.

"Where are we going tonight, anyway? Is a suit _really_ necessary?" Neji's eyebrows furrowed together.

"That's a secret, Neji. Ever heard of a surprise?" Kiba raised a brow at him.

"Yeah, and I don't like them."

"Tell me, Neji, were you planned? Did your parents plan having a baby?" Kiba turned to Neji.

"Well, of course they did. I wasn't a mistake." Neji huffed.

"No, but I was. I wasn't planned. But if I hadn't have happened, I wouldn't be here right now, would I?" Kiba smiled.

"Uh, no… I guess not."

"And I said _surprise_ , Neji. Not _mistake_ , you jackass."

To start off the date, Kiba took Neji to a beautiful, traditional Japanese restaurant. Kiba thought the Hyuga household was pretty traditional itself, so he didn't want Neji to be doing the same thing he always did, but he'd been here before with his team and it was too elegant to pass up: shoji screens and parchment paper made up the sliding doors that unearthed each room. Several separate, private dining areas followed down the long corridors. The flooring was made from typical turquoise tatami mats, and the room was mostly bare, other than beautiful, small tables of polished oak that were placed in the centre of each room, only high enough to kneel underneath, and pillows to soften your seating. Water fountains were dotted around, making the sound of trickling water, gentle but prominent. At the entrance, near pots of aloe, a geisha-style musician played songs on an erthu.

" _Isn't this too much?"_ Neji whispered to Kiba.

"Honestly, it's okay to spoil yourself sometimes, Neji." Kiba smiled.

"That's not what I meant…"

A beautiful lady in a yukata showed Kiba and Neji to their reserved room and slipped away rather quickly.

"Did she not need to take our orders?" Neji asked.

"Don't worry, it's all planned already."

Suddenly, they were in the room alone. There weren't any people around; the room was silent.

"Did you book a room like this on purpose?" Neji asked, sheepishly.

"Yeah, I thought maybe you wouldn't want a tonne of people around, especially for our first time out together. I wanted it to be special. So, you'd feel more comfortable."

Neji felt shy. It wasn't often he felt this way, but knowing Kiba had put in all this effort, he kind of…

He felt so overwhelmed, he felt he had to do something. In a moment of madness, Neji got to his feet, slipped himself by Kiba's side, and slowly moved in, planting his lips on Kiba's. Kiba stared at him shocked, his eyes like dinner plates. He didn't blink for a few moments, until Neji pulled his soft lips away and looked deeply into Kiba's eyes, his cheeks pink.

"I like it, okay?" He gently whispered. "But don't be expecting too much from me, asshole."

He shuffled back to his spot opposite Kiba and diverted his eye contact, pretending not to notice his surprise. Kiba, still gormless, couldn't string a sentence together. Suddenly, his face softened, he looked down, and he smiled; he was finally, finally getting there.

They enjoyed their meal, paid their respects to the staff at the restaurant, and set off home under the night sky. Kiba thought he would try his luck in grabbing Neji's hand, and to his surprise, Neji gave in. His palm was clammy, Kiba noticed, and he was gripping back tightly. Kiba thought his heart was going to burst. In the time they'd been together, this is what he'd really wanted all along. Now he had it, Kiba didn't know what to do with himself. He wanted to touch Neji, but he felt as if he couldn't; he wanted to treat him delicately for the first time since they'd met.

"I love you, Neji." He whispered, but loud enough for Neji to hear him. "More than anything. I love you."

Neji's grip became even tighter, but he didn't say a word. Rather than look Kiba in the eye, he looked downwards so that Kiba could still see his expression. Then, after a short while, he stopped and gave Kiba a look that told him he could do what he wanted, and so Kiba cupped Neji's face with his big, strong hands, and he drew him into a kiss. Neji was slightly astounded; he'd kissed Kiba countless times before, but this was shockingly different. His breath never wavered, nor was it uncontrollable. He didn't radiate intense passion nor dismissal; he was engaged and focused, but he also felt as if what he was doing meant an awful lot, like what he was holding in his arms was the most precious thing in his life. Although he wasn't the mad sexual deviant he'd always been only months ago, he still held an element of excitement within the way his tongue lightly grazed Neji's, as if he was starting off slow so that Neji had to _hope_ it would go on. This wasn't for sex, for fun or just to satisfy Neji's needs, but rather to be incredibly loving.

Between breaths they were both panting, but Kiba still found the time to chant 'I love you' whenever he had the chance.

"If you keep saying that." Neji blushed wildly. "It might get old."

"It won't." Kiba replied. "I'll keep on loving you." He wrapped his arms around Neji and pulled him into a hug.

"Be with me, Neji. Live with me."

Neji paused, wondering whether to take all this seriously, however he found it hard not to. He knew Kiba's heart was on his sleeve. He paused.

"You know I can't do that."

"Live with me. Please."


	5. Chapter 5

Kiba had fallen into the habit of waiting for Neji outside his place. Neji knew he was being romantic, but if his parents found out about what they'd been up to he'd be in _big, big trouble_. Dedicating yourself to anyone other than the head family was an absolute travesty in the Hyuga household, and it made him _hate_ being in a branch family, other than the fact that he loved Hinata very dearly. Despite this, some other things came first, and one day he knew his uncle was going to have to find out. If that meant there would be one less Hyuga, then Neji had already decided; so be it. He'd never stop protecting Lady Hinata, but he didn't need to be a Hyuga for that.

Neji would still be excited to meet with Kiba, though. He'd grunt, and he'd moan, but he'd smile at Kiba's pout, and he'd be itching to grab his hand on their way into the marketplace, even if he absolutely couldn't do it. He liked the fact they could walk around together every once in a while, and people would think it was nothing more than an odd pair since Kiba, as far as anyone knew, couldn't stand a genius. They'd assume it was a mission, and that was it. This made both their lives so much easier.

"About what I said, Neji." Kiba began. "Yesterday." Neji could sense he was being cautious.

"I really mean it. I want you to live with me."

Neji sighed. His plea was hellishly cute, but unrealistic.

"You know I can't do that, especially not right now. It's impossible to explain it to my family. It goes against everything we are as a clan."

"Daddy issues?" Kiba asked. Neji giggled.

"Something like that."

"I'm sure there's somethin'. Just move into my place and say it's Tsunade's order's, no questions asked."

"Oh my, you really do have dogs for brains." Neji scoffed at his own shitty pun. Kiba wrinkled his nose.

"I just want to wake up to my beautiful boyfriend. Is that so bad?"

It wasn't so bad, and Neji knew. But the problem was that it was _only_ Neji that knew. He wanted all that, too, but they were on their own.

"Maybe." Kiba suggested. "We could start tellin' people."

Neji choked.

"Tell people what exactly? Tell your mum we fucked in your living room or your superior that we stole their condoms?"

"Well I told you I didn't wanna use them anyways, it's hardly my fault."

"We aren't going to get good reactions about this. We might've grown up with some great people, but this is Konoha. There's only so much they can accept us for."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Kiba began. "I don't think Naruto and Sasuke minded at all."

Neji froze. He turned to Kiba and looked him dead in the eyes.

"What… did you tell them?"

Kiba breathed in but puffed out his chest showing no remorse. "I kinda' hinted about us. I needed some advice, and I didn't know where to turn. They seemed concerned with other things and didn't bat an eyelid. Maybe everyone already knows?"

"Already knows? There's no fucking way. I haven't gone all this way to be inconspicuous for 'already knows'. If my parents knew they'd have been thrown out by the head family already. I'd have people keeping me away from Hinata and Kakashi and Iruka would be asking us out on double dates."

"Huh? Kakashi and Iruka are dating?" Kiba looked bewildered.

"Oh, come on, that one was more than obvious." Neji snarled back. "I can't believe you outed us to a pair of absolute dickheads. I bet we're the talk of the town by now."

"Listen." Kiba attempted to lighten the load. "I'm fairly sure they don't actually know it's you I was talking about. And anyway, they were busy arguing about something, so I didn't get much out of them from start to finish. They're our friends, aren't they? I can't see them being too quick to jump the gun or to put us in the firing line."

"I hope you're right because I'm not picking up after you. You can pick up after yourself." Neji shot Kiba down. _We're going backwards._

Neji caught sight of Kiba's expression, and he realised he'd made him feel like crap. _Shit._ Neji got over himself for a second, just like he'd been practising, and took in a deep breath.

"Sorry." He said. "I didn't mean that."

"S'okay." Kiba replied. "I know."

Neji looked to the ground with a gentle smile. He didn't deserve this kid. He really didn't.

"Listen." Neji sighed. "I'd like it all to work out in the end, but it won't. Because of that, I want to you to remember that I'm not going to fuck off and leave you just because someone wants me to hold on to what they think is worthwhile. I'm really not about that."

Kiba glanced at him, but Neji kept on straight ahead.

"So, eventually, we'll have to tell them. But I want to do it the right way, and in a way where I feel comfortable. That might take me a while, and I know I can be difficult and more sensitive than I look, but I find strength in the fact that I know you'll wait for me."

Kiba smiled bashfully, and reached out to grab Neji's wrist, humming in agreement. Neji shook his hand loose, but Kiba regained his grip, slipping down Neji's fingers until he intertwined them with his. This time, Neji didn't shake him off, since the road they were walking down was relatively desolate. Instead, he tightened his grip in return, and they plodded down the street in an absolutely blissful silence.

Neji decided it'd been a long while since he'd done anything nice for Kiba, and so decided he'd try to buy him something. Kiba had been walking with him, but their time was cut short as Shino wanted him for something. "Team stuff" Kiba had called it, and then he'd slipped away. Now, Neji was using his time alone, something he'd not had recently (even if he didn't really want it), to treat Kiba. He laughed to himself. He even filled his time alone with Kiba, now. He looked across various stalls that had been put up in the streets of Konoha, with vendors calling out their deals of the day. Something caught Neji's eye; a black dog collar, for a reduced price, sat upon the table top at one of the stalls. Neji held it in his palm.

"That's a sturdy one. It's made for big dogs." The vendor attempted to bargain with Neji.

"Oh really? Sounds perfect." Neji smirked.

"Do ya have a big dog? Ya don't look like the type. Know an Inuzuka maybe?" The vendor was an old man, his eyes small as if they were tightly shut, and a thick cigarette pursed between his lips. His arms were crossed, and his shawl was dirty.

"Yeah. I know one. In fact, I think this would be perfect for him."

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted. Neji felt someone behind him grab his arm, and when he quickly turned, he saw Shikamaru looking into his eyes. Shikamaru stepped back and removed his arm, as if he'd done it without thinking, and then rubbed the back of his head.

"Uhh, shopping?"

Neji looked down at the collar and giggled.

"Huh yeah, I suppose." He smiled softly. Shikamaru caught sight of it and looked to the floor.

"Hey, I have something I wanna ask about. I was wondering, I know it's weird, and I know you wouldn't really…" Shikamaru looked up at Neji who was listening intently. He sighed.

"I was wondering if, since your birthday is coming up, you'd like to have a party?"

"A party? What kind of party?"

This reply came as a shock to Shikamaru. If he knew Neji, he'd refuse a party point blankly, no further questions asked.

"I thought maybe we could just do it with the guys, if a big one isn't your kind of thing?"

"A party with the guys? Yeah, I'll do that. Why not? Maybe we could all catch up?" Neji agreed.

"Yeah! We can catch up! That's what I was thinking."

"Cool, I'll anticipate it then." Neji smiled at Shikamaru, and Shikamaru smiled back bashfully. As he watched him walk off, Neji could've sworn he had a spring in his step.

"What a weird guy…"

Later, when Kiba returned, Neji decided to suggest the party to him. Who knew, maybe he'd be up for helping out with the organising. Neji thought he might've liked that.

"Shikamaru approached me today." Neji told Kiba, who was busy shuffling through his wardrobe. Kiba flinched.

"Oh, did he? What for?" Kiba asked. He paused but didn't stop what he was doing. Neji sat up on Kiba's bed.

"He wanted to do something for my birthday. He was talking about organising a party for me and inviting all the guys." Neji explained. Kiba chuckled and Neji glanced at him in confusion.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Oh. Well, you aren't going, are you? Didn't you turn him down?"

Neji paused. "Why would I do that?"

"Huh? Are you for serious?"

"What? Why not? He just told me about it in the market. He said something about inviting all the guys and I thought it might be a good idea. Did you have something planned?" Neji found himself a little hopeful.

"I haven't planned anything, but that was a little out of the blue. I dunno, couldn't you have told him we had something planned anyway?" Kiba looked at him, a little agitated. He was letting himself get annoyed.

"Well I don't see the harm. After all, you'd be invited too, so we could still be together, right?"

"Neji, I don't want you to go."

Slightly taken aback, Neji met Kiba's scowl. Kiba was clearly very serious, and Neji hadn't expected it.

"Is something bothering you? Have I don't something?" Neji lowered the tone a little.

"It's not that. You just can't go."

"Kiba, I'm older than you, you can't tell me what to do."

Kiba scowled at him and bared his teeth a little. "Huh? Neji's he's clearly after you. He's a clever guy, he knows what you'll think. This isn't about the party or any of it. This is about you and him."

"Are you fucking serious? Do you really think he's digging that up again? He literally does one nice fucking thing for me and because he spoke to me now he wants me? And who's 'me and him'? There's no 'me and him' about it. It's been _years_. Can't you just let that shit lie and stop being jealous for a second, and then maybe let me live my life?"

Neji knew he'd gone too far, but he'd said it now, and he _was_ telling the truth. He at least wanted Kiba to trust him, and Kiba had fucking started it, anyway.

Kiba, his eyes watery, looked down to the floor. "Fucking go. See if I care, and if he jumps you," Kiba got up, pulled his phone out of his pocket, flicked through the contacts and deleted Neji's, and then tossed the phone onto the table. "Don't fucking come crying to me."

Neji's blood ran cold, and then hot. He grabbed the phone and threw it at Kiba as he walked out, just missing his ear. The phone hit the wall, and the glass fell out of the screen. As far as Neji was concerned, he hoped Kiba wouldn't fucking come back.

Neji was confused. He'd tried to keep a level head, but the whole thing made no sense. He hadn't said anything wrong, right? He'd been so much better with his words recently, and Kiba had always been so understanding, so suddenly it didn't make much sense for them to be in yet another argument. This wasn't really like the others. It was far more one-sided, and this time, Neji knew Kiba was in the wrong. It bothered him that Kiba could make fun of their friends' kindness. Even if they made up and it all worked out, the party would be awkward, now. He'd just have to tell Shikamaru to forget about it. But Neji couldn't do that, could he? He knew it wouldn't help, but he really could let Kiba win this one. Especially as he'd surprised even Neji by being the most childish little dickhead in the world and deleting Neji as a contact. He deserved everything he got, and he'd be licking Neji's shoes by the end of it. And so what if Shikamaru decided to jump him?

Oh, no. Nevermind. That was a step _too_ far, wasn't it? Neji knew he didn't _really_ want that at all. Neji knew he himself was childish, but he loved Kiba, and it wasn't as if they'd broken up. He didn't have the slightest interest in Shikamaru, he was just used to getting back at his past partners for shit they'd done. He'd never been in love like this before, and Kiba was different. Being with Kiba, in fact, wasn't so easy. He couldn't totally blame Kiba for his opinion, either, but he was certain Kiba had gone far too far.

All Neji knew was that that if he wanted to do this party, he could. And he was pretty sure it was something he wanted to do. He liked to have fun too, and it really didn't look as if Kiba had planned anything nice.

Kiba, however, was _vexed_. He felt as if Neji had chosen Shikamaru over him, and it made his blood boil. Kiba knew they hadn't spoken, and Kiba knew they never saw each other, but the second his saw them together his toes would curl. In the past, when Neji had been someone that didn't much care for heart in a relationship, he'd been with a lot of guys, and Kiba knew Shikamaru had been one of them. Although it had been a long enough time since then, it still irked him. Kiba was sure Shikamaru was still up to something. He could've been searching for it, but he felt Shikamaru's eyes on Neji whenever he was near him. It never surprised him because Kiba knew his boyfriend was beautiful, but it really bothered him. Shikamaru was done with; Neji had moved on. Kiba at least wished Neji had understood where all this was coming from a little better.

Kiba pulled out his phone and flipped through the contacts. Yep, definitely deleted. _Shoot_. He hadn't intended to go into a fit of rage like that, or to be so childish as to delete Neji's number, but he couldn't stand it. Any of it. Shikamaru was playing dirty, and if that wasn't bad enough, Neji hadn't noticed. Although Shikamaru probably didn't know they were together, Kiba still thought he was out of his bounds since, after all, that part of their lives was done and dusted. Kiba thought about it again. If he knew Neji, Neji would still go to that party in spite because he was surely pissed. This made matters worse, because now Shikamaru would have chance to swoop in and save the day, scooping a heartbroken Neji into his arms. Kiba cursed to himself. He'd fucked himself over so badly is made his eyes water. What the fuck was he gonna do?

He just knew he had to keep Shikamaru away from Neji. And right now, what that meant was stopping Neji from going to the party, and for that, he'd need to apologise and ask nicely, and then maybe Neji wouldn't go. Then maybe Neji could cut Shikamaru off for good.

~~Author's note~~

Lmao Kiba. What a spoon.

Hoping you're enjoying this story so far. I know it's probably rather cat and mouse for the most part, but I thought these two clashed so much that that would be a good idea. Also, we're seeing a lot less sex now. In fact, there's none at all. I wonder why? 😉

Anyhow, I hope you anticipate future chapters. They're coming, I promise. I'm both a slow uploader and currently very busy. I look forward to the day when this story is finished, and people can read it in bulk. Then maybe you won't forget what happens (because I always do lol).

Happy reading!


	6. chapter 6

"Hey, Neji. I was thinking," Shikamaru began. "How about we have the party at my place?"

"Oh, wouldn't that bother your mom?" Neji replied. "I wouldn't want to push her out of her own home."

"Don't worry about that. It's fine. She's going on a trip around then anyway, so the place will basically be mine."

"If it's okay, then. I don't see why not."

"And what about food, is there anything you want to eat?"

Since Neji had agreed to go to the party, Shikamaru had been clinging to him like a baby monkey. He asked question after question, and Neji still hadn't spoken to Kiba since their argument, so he was always free for questioning. What did Neji do before he started dating Kiba?

Shikamaru noticed Neji was zoning out.

"So, do we invite Kiba? Or..."

Neji panicked. "Huh? What about Kiba?"

"Oh, well, it just seems like something happened between you guys. I didn't want to ask, but it seems like you guys got really close all of a sudden, and now you're completely ignoring each other."

"Ah, well, kind of. Something happened, yes, but it's nothing, really. Just invite him." Neji gazed down at the floor.

Shikamaru raised a brow. "Well, alright then." He paused for thought and let the room fall silent.

"How come you guys got so close, anyways?"

"Huh?" Neji flushed. "I mean, we really aren't that close. We just had a few missions together recently. You know how it is, a genius and a guy that runs on instinct. We're chalk and cheese but we work well on the battlefield, right?"

"In my opinion," Shikamaru crossed his right leg over his left, resting his hand on his knee, and stared right at Neji with a strong, deep and assertive look.

"Two geniuses do a far better job."

Neji smiled at him, not really getting it, and Shikamaru just continued looking at him with that intense gaze.

Kiba stared at his phone. The glass from the cracked screen was still missing, and it was much less functional than before, but it was the one Neji had the number to. He'd been like that for a while now, waiting for the familiar buzz that came with a message, but nothing had come. Since their argument, Neji hadn't contacted him once. Kiba tried calling Neji's home phone; no answer. He tried calling his mobile, but someone else picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Kiba. Who is this?"

"Neji's busy."

The line went dead.

Shikamaru had answered the phone.

Kiba clenched his fist and grinded his teeth. It sounded like he was in big trouble already. Why the fuck was he at Shikamaru's? Fucking pity sex after like 2 weeks?

Kiba knew it was unlikely, but he knew Neji liked getting revenge on his partners. Nah, if it had happened, it would be Shikamaru's fault. But that would really fuck things up for their relationship. Whatever was going on over there, Shikamaru was armed and dangerous, and he seemed like he wasn't gonna be civil about it.

Well, when Neji was back safe in Kiba's arms, he was convinced Shikamaru was going to fucking get it, and he'd do it himself.

The night before the party, Neji paced up and down Shikamaru's mothers' room. He was nicely dressed in the theme Shikamaru had picked out for him; he wore a black suit with a dark shirt, a turquoise colour with mostly navy undertones and a shade similar to the bottom of the ocean. His tie, also black, was straight and no thinner than a coin, and ran down to his belly button. His boots were shiny and his hair was tied back. He felt incredibly stiff and uncomfortable, cloth tied tight around his neck and his shoes making his feet sweat.

He heard a knock at the door.

"Are you ready in there? Everyone's waiting for you."

Neji paused before making a reply.

"Yeah. I'm coming out now."

He looked into the mirror for a moment.

"Not me." He sighed. He made his way to the door.

When he opened it, all their friends were crammed into Shikamaru's living room, and they all yelled something resembling "Surprise". Neji, taken aback by the sheer amount of people that weren't supposed to be there, whispered in Shikamaru's ear.

"What the fuck?"

"You seemed so down, I thought you could use some quality time with your friends. Let loose, lighten up a little!"

Neji scowled. Birthday my arse. What happened to 'drinks with the guys'?

Neji glanced around the room at the eager faces and grimaced. He hoped he didn't need to talk to everyone. He caught sight of Hinata who smiled sheepishly, clearly knowing this would not be to Neji's tastes. Neji sighed. He was about to sit down when someone caught his eye.

Kiba, in a jet black suit with a deep red shirt and black bowtie, leaned against the wall towards the back of the room. He was slightly hidden from view, but Neji could see his eyes clearly enough. Kiba held a glass filled with clear liquid to his lips, most likely saké, and took a sip. His gaze pierced right through Neji, sending a wave through his body. Initially he felt shock, having not seen him for weeks, but Kiba's eyes reflected deeper feelings like power and lust, and Neji's legs began feeling like jelly.

Kiba noticed and smiled. Then he slyly turned to chat to whoever was behind him.

Neji tried to ignore it and enjoy himself. He'd been the one to invite Kiba, and so it wasn't a problem that Kiba was there. Plus, Neji hadn't done anything wrong, so it was for Kiba to apologise, and he'd be waiting for it. But he couldn't deny that he'd gone without sex for the past fortnight and, right now, Kiba was looking like a snacc.

As the party progressed, it became obvious to Shikamaru how much Neji was glancing over at Kiba. It irked him that Neji couldn't just forget about him, and at this point, he didn't know how to fix it. It called for drastic measures.

"Hey, Neji, will you come with me for a sec?" Shikamaru asked.

"Surely you can tell me here?" Neji replied, with an innocent look. Shikamaru glanced at Kiba, who was giving him the side eye, and a nasty one at that. Shikamaru smirked at him.

"No, I need you in the back room for a sec. It won't take long, okay?"

Neji complied, and Kiba watched them trail off into the back room. It made him grind his teeth. Why wasn't it fucking obvious by now? Did Neji really not get it? Or was this what he wanted all along? Whatever the deal, Kiba couldn't leave it alone. Obviously, he'd fucking check with his own eyes.

"What was it you wanted. Is it really that important?" Neji sighed, noticing Shikamaru wasn't letting go of his hand.

"Listen." Shikamaru began. He pushed Neji down onto a sofa that stayed in the back room, and stood ahead of him, slowly loosening his tie.

"I don't know what you've been thinking. I don't know how things have been since we split. But what I am curious of is your relationship with the dog."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "Why are you asking this? I told you we fell out. What, are you team Kiba too?"

Shikamaru scoffed. "What the fuck?"

He undid his belt and dropped his jacket off his shoulders, untucking his white shirt from his trousers to expose a little of his skin and his underwear, and consequently, his boner.

"Are you not curious as to why I did all this? Why I put so much effort in for you? Why I've been wagging my tail every time I saw you?"

Neji stared with a bewildered expression. "Huh? But we broke up?"

"You broke up with me. And I've been waiting for you to crawl back this whole fucking time. Instead, you've been so fucking friendly with that dog, it made my toes curl. Did you guys fuck or what? Why does he follow you around?"

"Listen Shikamaru, I didn't realise you still felt thay way about me, but it's been three years. You never even tried to approach me with this, and yet you're already threatening me. What's your excuse? Don't tell me you were scared?"

Shikamaru scowled. "Yeah. I fucking was. I was scared because I thought you liked me more than that. But it seemed so easy for you to throw me away and find someone else. It made me wonder how much you even liked me in the first place. Did you lie when you said you loved me? Or was all of that bullshit?"

Neji sighed. "Yeah, I did love you back then. But times change, and so do people's feelings, and eventually I stopped loving you. For that I'm sorry, because you always took good care of me. Some things just don't work out well in the end. I did miss you in the beginning, but I was lonely from start to finish. Even with you right beside me, I was still lonely. But we weren't really 'grown-ups' yet. We had a long way to go, and even though we were in love, we didn't really understand it. I just learned to accept that before you did."

"How the fuck can you be so sure!?" Shikamaru yelled, applying pressure to Neji's dick with the sole of his foot. Neji moaned and grimaced. "I'd never felt like that with anyone before. I can't forget it, no matter how hard I fucking try. What is there to understand? I'm in love with you!" Shikamaru's tears dripped down onto Neji as he hunched over him. Neji waited a moment before saying anything.

"I get it." He began, once he decided it was okay to speak. "I know how it feels to not get on so well with who you're in love with. I'm genuinely sorry, and I want you to be happy as my precious friend. But we will never be happy together, and our time like that is long gone. I need you to understand that."

"Is it because of him? Are you in love with him?" Shikamaru looked up into Neji's eyes with a tear-stained face. Although Neji felt a pang of guilt, he had to say it.

"Yeah. I am."

Neji's expression told Shikamaru all he needed to know. It told him Neji wasn't lying to get him off his back, and it told him Neji was the most in love he'd ever been in his life. It was an expression not even Shikamaru has seen when they were together, and that hurt so much. All the anger, pain and jealousy made Shikamaru's emotions uncontrollable.

"That isn't fair." He uttered, and pushed his lips against Neji's. Neji, audibly shocked, flailed his arms and tried to push Shikamaru off. He'd forgotten how strong Shikamaru was, and so couldn't manage it. Shikamaru slipped his tongue in Neji's mouth and began slipping his hand under his shirt. The kiss broke for a moment and Neji gasped, when suddenly Shikamaru felt a hand grasp his collar and pull him to his feet. Kiba, with a swing of his right, punched Shikamaru directly on his cheek, making him fall to the floor.

"Don't fuck with someone else's boyfriend, asshole!"

Kiba was ready to go again when Neji grabbed him under his arms and held him back. "Stop, Kiba! That's enough."

Kiba shrugged Neji off and scowled heavily. Shikamaru wiped his face with the back of his hand. Kiba growled. He grabbed Neji's wrist and thrusted his hand into the air.

"This guy is mine! Fucking get your own!"

With that, Kiba led Neji out of the room. Shikamaru sighed and laid there.

"Looks like it really is over."

Kiba led Neji by the hand through the party, not caring if people were looking.

"What? Where are they going? Where's Shikamaru?" Sakura asked. Ino shrugged and Naruto shook his head.

"Do we go home?"

Kiba took Neji halfway up the street with him kicking and punching before Neji slapped Kiba clean in the face.

"Slow down!"

They both stood for a moment panting in the street.

"Where did he touch you?" Kiba huffed. "Where?"

Neji frowned a little. "It's fine." He said "I'm fine. He didn't get far."

"But his pants were open!" Kiba cursed and covered his eyes with his forearm. "I knew he would and I still didn't..."

Neji slowly walked to him, pulling his arms away from his face very gently and wiping away his tears.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you." He uttered. "You were right."

"I'm sorry for acting like I didn't trust you." Kiba began. "Truthfully, it scared me. I knew about you two before, and even back then, I think I didn't know it yet, but I was jealous. I saw you together and I knew what was going on. The thought of him touching you in a way I couldn't hurt me. And when we got together I couldn't help but think no matter how much you cared for me, I'm all instinct. You were the genius and yet I'm so much less. "Shikamaru was the same. It was like you and him fitted together because you could understand so much more than me, and it made me feel so lonely. It was the first time I felt like I needed to be someone else. So when we were only together in body and not mind, I thought that was the best it would get for me. I was afraid you would get bored, and so I didn't trust you, all because of myself."

Neji listened intently. "I'm sorry I didn't realise you were hurting. I want you to know that you're truly the only one for me. I've never felt like you weren't enough. In fact, I think you're too good for me, Kiba. But I need you."

They looked into eachothers eyes passionately.

"Take me home, Kiba. Touch me where he touched me. Make me yours again."

Since the town was quiet, they could go where they liked. Kiba had suggested his house, and so that's where they went. This time, they went to Kiba's bedroom and used Kiba's bed. Neji refused a condom because he wanted it all. Kiba licked all the places Shikamaru had touched; across Neji's belly button, over his shoulders and over his mouth. He kissed him passionately and their tongues rolled over eachother, making Neji groan and feel feverish.

"He touched me down there." Neji huffed, his face flushed. "With his foot."

Kiba frowned and looked at him with an intense seductive gaze. "Did he touch your skin?"

Neji shook his head. "No." He was melting because of Kiba's eyes.

Kiba slowly unzipped Neji's pants and exposed his boner. He started at the bottom, licking all the way up to the hilt, and sucking on the head. He deepthroated the whole thing quite quickly, and Neji had an orgasm, releasing into Kiba's throat. Kiba swallowed it all willingly and licked his lips.

"I bet he didn't touch you like that." Kiba smirked. Neji had officially melted. "No." He quivered. "He didn't."

"Would you like some more?" Kiba teased.

"Yes please."

As dawn broke, the Inuzuka household woke from their beds. Although they had continued the party the night before rather than waste it when the birthday boy left, they still had a duty that included getting up early every morning. But it wasn't often Kiba didn't get up on time. His mother found it odd he was still in bed and so opened his door to let Akamaru in. That was strange, too, since Akamaru slept on Kiba's bed every night. Perhaps Kiba had locked him out on purpose?

Neji woke up hazily to something wet on his face. At first he thought it was Kiba, but the tongue was much too large to be human. This was certainly the first time he'd been woken up by a dog. He sat up quickly to push the large animal away from him and suddenly keeled over. His back and hips were aching, and his skin felt sore all over. His eyes barely open, he gazed across the room, catching sight of himself in the mirror. He was covered from head to toe in hickeys, so it was unsurprising his skin was so sore. He slapped Kiba's chest to wake him up.

"Have you seen this? You fucking mongrel."

"Hm? Shut the fuck up, I'm tired."

"Don't you have stuff to do?"

"What? Fuck off. I finally got you back in bed with me. Let me lie with you for a little longer."

Neji sighed and blushed a little. "That's cute and all but I'm pretty sure your mum let the dog in?"

Suddenly, Mrs Inuzuka swung the bedroom door open and chuckled.

"Kiba, it's about time you-"

Silence.

Neji, laid naked in bed with her son and covered in kiss marks, was a sight to behold.

"Oh."

She stepped back into the hall and closed the door behind her.

"Shit."

"Fuck Kiba, I'm sorry, I didn't think properly."

"I don't mind that much, though? My mum's pretty cool, she'll chill down later about it all. I'm more worried about you. Why didn't you leave early like you normally do?"

"Well, this time was different, right? I think I didn't mind getting caught so much. I was being selfish."

"I like it when you're selfish." Kiba began tracing Neji's skin with his fingertips. "Keep being selfish." He kissed his pale back.

"Well, you have somewhere you need to be."

"Yeah."

"I'll head out then."

"I'll see you out. Then later, I'll tell her."

"Okay."

~~Author's note~~

Alrighty. They made up!

Yaaay finally got to write about the story I was aiming for from the start. I hope you liked it bc this was my first successful plot lmao the only other story I have on here as of current didn't have one (not really).

But it isn't quite complete yet! Stay tuned for the last chapter :)

This one took an awfully long time to write, reason being I did my exams and I'm officially heading to university! How neat is that? So I've been pretty busy since in a months time I'm going to be living on my own and providing for myself for the first time. It's all rather exciting! Incase people are curious, my degree is Asia Pacific Studies and Korean.

Thanks for reading!


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